BHP BILLITON is restructuring its operations, retrenching 79 employees and 16 contractors at its Newcastle Technology Centre.
The facility performs research and development in metallurgy, iron ore, coal and process modelling for the company.
According to the miner, the review of its technological R&D sections will help the business better exploit technology. It has ruled out shutting down the centre, claiming it will still be playing a role in future projects.
Analysts say this is just part of a wider restructure effort on the part of the business to enhance visibility, control and responsibility.
Meanwhile, IBM has been appointed to take care of the generic IT services in the organisation, including network, email, servers and computer support.
Accenture, a systems integrator, was also awarded a $50m per annum software outsourcing contract.
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